Vindicated
by Strike To Incinerate
Summary: Chae LimAlba SoireeMignon. Takes place during KOFMI. When Alba accidentally KO's Chae Lim during the tournament, he takes her home so Soiree and Mignon can make sure she wakes up okay... and finds out that both girls fit perfectly into their lives.
1. Don't Wait

Note: Don't own KOF: Maximum Impact. Characters, etc, belong to SNKPlaymore. 

Mwaha. Random pairing time! And the lucky two are...

Alba Meira and Chae Lim!

Sorry, it isn't a random pairing, actually. I thought they'd be quite adorable together... The songs I started adding after I wrote this fic, because I thought they fit. I'm rather attached to Dashboard Confessional now, so this chapter is called, 'Don't Wait'.

* * *

_-- The sky glows  
I see it shining when my eyes close  
I hear your warnings but we both know  
I'm gonna look at it again --_

Anxiety had replaced the blood in her veins as she had climbed the stairs to the rooftop of Geese Tower where her next opponent waited. Yeah, she could've taken the elevator, but that was so... bogus. It would just have made her feel more anxious. At least with stairs, there was some distraction. For instance, she wondered if anyone knew that there were 32 steps in between each floor, except for 7 to 8, where there were only 30, and the one that led to the roof, where there were 47...

She saw no one as she walked into the large, open space. She was standing on a helipad, but she didn't notice. Nothing but the view... all of Southtown could be seen from the top of the tower. Bustling cars that looked the size of mice zoomed down the streets, and the red lights of control towers blinked like stars in the setting sky.

It was beautiful, in a very crowded, electronic sort of way.

"I've never seen you before..."

Chae's head whipped around, but she still saw no one... her eyes traveled up the length of a red and white crane, and stopped on the man who stood atop it. His hair was red, with the same silver-white streak in the bangs that she kept. Such an odd coincidence... she'd never met this man before, either. He wore sunglasses, concealing his eyes, and his red and black leather jacket and pants covered the rest of him. Boots that were surely steel-toed on his feet... she'd have to avoid those.

He leaned forward, his hair whipping out behind him as he fell from the crane, spinning and landing on his feet. A tremor ran through the rooftop from the force, causing the Korean girl to rethink her footing in order to keep her balance.

"Are you tough?" he asked simply, taking a few steps forward.

"I loathe evil..." she muttered, her fists clenching as she took her stance. He obliged her and did the same.

His style seemed to be some kind of karate that Chae couldn't name... nevertheless, she didn't have time to ponder it. His strikes kept her onguard constantly, forcing her to wait until he left an opening...

She found one. Stepping to the side, she spun and aimed her foot perfectly for his chin. His head whipped back, and he stumbled for a moment, allowing her to get in a few more well-placed strikes.

It didn't last. He regained his bearings and blocked finally.

The fight continued in this manner, almost assuring Chae Lim her victory, and advancement to the next opponent.

"Crescent!" She leapt forward, jumping and flipping. Her timing would have been perfect for the landing, and possibly the win, if she hadn't underestimated his speed...

"Thunder God Unleashed!" A wave of pure battle energy interrupted her attack, knocking her backwards and against a wall.

Then, blackness swallowed her.

_-- Don't wait, Don't wait  
The road is now a sudden sea  
And suddenly, you're deep enough  
To lay your armor down --_

It wasn't the light that woke her, but the headache that accompanied it. Anxiety overtook her, and she shot up, forcing her eyes open. They stayed that way for only an instant; the light seemed so bright, she had to keep them closed or she might be blinded.

A soft, small hand gently pushed her back down. A girl's hand.

"Alba says you have to rest! Mignon is supposed to make sure of it!" Her voice was light and cheerful, and it would have given Chae Lim a headache if her temples didn't feel like they were being stabbed.

She knew better than to argue or ask who Alba was. She'd been knocked out before... "Water... some tylenol, please," she asked quietly, moving one hand to rest over her eyes.

"Mignon will be right back!" the girl chirped.

Chae's eyes managed to stay open under the shade of her forearm. She could remember the fight... and what had knocked her out.

She'd hit that wall with such force... she guessed she had a concussion. She was grateful to be alive. She assumed she owed that to the man who had saved her; Alba.

"Is she up?"

Chae could hear voices outside the room.

"Yes! And stay out, Soiree! She wants tylenol, not harrassment!"

The girl came back into the room, and Chae could see that she had bright pink hair and soft brown eyes. It was so strangely styled! And her outfit was rather odd.

"Here! We don't have any tylenol, but Soiree had some Vicodin!" she said, handing Chae a glass of water and a small pill.

She drank it thirstily, and swallowed the pill. "Who's Soiree?" she finally asked.

"Oh! He's Alba's twin brother! He's so... rude!" Mignon huffed.

"Are you related to them?" Chae asked, sitting up again and brushing her hair out of her eyes. To her relief, she was still fully clothed, and had been laying on a twin bed.

"Nope! Mignon knows white magic! Mignon met Soiree and he asked for help when Alba brought you here!" she answered cheerfully. "Mignon's one smart cookie!"

"Where is here, though?" Chae asked, glancing around the room. The wallpaper was dingy, and it was sparsely furnished. A chair in one corner, and a bookshelf in another. Two doors, one leading out into a short hall, the other, presumably to a closet.

"Oh! This is Alba and Soiree's apartment! But, whee-deedly-dee, this is Alba's room!" she answered in a sing-song voice.

"Ah, I see..." Chae leaned against the wall. "Where's Alba, if you and his brother are here?"

"I think he's fighting that Duke guy..." Mignon said, a thoughtful look coming over her face, but it passed just as quickly as it had came.

"He's fighting Duke," Soiree said, leaning against the door frame. Soiree, although he was Alba's twin, looked nothing like him. His hair was a white-silver color, short and spiky in some places. His sky-blue vest was open, and his pants hung loosely from his hips, looking about to fall off at any moment. "See, if you had beaten my bro, you would've fought me, and then, if you had beat me, you'd be fighting Duke right now..."

"Who's Duke?" Lim asked, glancing to Soiree.

"Leader of Mephistopheles, the sponser of the KOF," he replied. "God, I hope Alba wins..." he mumbled, then turned and left.

"Mignon will stay here with... uhm... hey, you didn't tell me your name!" Mignon smiled at her.

"It's Sohn Chae Lim," she replied.

"Chae Lim! Nice to meet you!" The pink-haired girl daintily hopped up onto the bed and sat next to her. "Alba should be home soon! He left right after he brought you here!"

"That's good... I'd like to thank him, and then--" Chae Lim was cut off by Soiree's shout of "Bro!" Both girls slid off of the bed and ran to the source.

_-- You get one look  
I'll show you something that the knife took.  
A bit too early for my own good  
Now let's not speak of it again --_

Alba was beaten up pretty badly. His jacket was torn to shreds, his pants were ripped and frayed at the hems and in the knees, and lacerations appeared scattered on his once clean and flawless skin. Purple-green bruises littered everywhere. His shades were broken and hanging from his left ear. Soiree had both arms wrapped around him, supporting him.

"Bastard... got away..." he muttered, licking the sticky blood from his lips as more dripped from his nose.

"Lay him down on the floor, Soiree," Chae Lim instructed.

"Oh... you're awake..." Alba gave her a soft smile. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Chae Lim admitted with a light flush, "but you need help. I don't think you have to go to the hospital--"

"No hospital," he agreed, nodding.

"Lay him down, Soiree," she repeated, then looked to Mignon. "Get some towel, bandages, and a bowl of water. And some rubbing alcohal or peroxide..." she instructed.

"Below the bathroom sink," Soiree said, gently laying Alba on the floor. "Damn... he got you pretty bad, bro..." he murmured.

Chae Lim knelt beside him. "He's right, you did..." she agreed.

Mignon returned quickly with all the things Chae Lim had requested.

"Strip him," she said firmly, fighting back a blush.

"What?! She gets right down to it, I like her, Alba!" Soiree exclaimed.

A smack from Mignon calmed him down.

"He probably has more cuts, you pervert! Mignon will strip him!" Mignon said, bracing herself.

"Ow... just let me do it... you poor little virgins won't do it right..." Soiree teased.

Chae Lim doubted that there was a right or wrong way to take a man's clothing off, but she wasn't going to argue. She didn't have to do it, thanks to Soiree.

Soon, Alba was shirtless. There were more cuts than Chae Lim had expected.

"This is gonna sting," she warned, looking down at his face for a moment.

"I thought you hated guys like me," he said with a chuckle.

_'He's delirious,'_ she thought. "No... you're not evil. I was wrong about that," she admitted, pouring some peroxide onto a small towel and gently applying it to the cuts on his chest.

He winced. "Dammit..."

"Don't be such a baby," she chastized, giving him an encouraging smile. "You beat me in a match, and you can't handle a few stings?"

He said nothing to that, just laid there and let her tend to him while Mignon and Soiree watched in awe.

Finally, she was finished, and had bandaged up some of the deeper cuts. Soiree took his cue and moved to undo Alba's pants.

"No... my legs are fine," Alba said, much to Chae Lim's relief.

"I'll take your word for it." She stood, and with Mignon, put away the unneeded things.

"She looked just like a mom right there, ya know? Couldn't you just see her with a couple of kids! She's fucking cool, bro!" Soiree said in quiet excitement to his twin. Chae Lim smiled and pretended she hadn't heard. "I wonder if she cooks..." Soiree picked up his brother and began carrying him to his room. "If she does, I'm gonna marry her. She's kinda cute," he said, causing Mignon to giggle and Alba to give a wry smile.

"What about Mignon?" he asked.

"Soiree can have Chae Lim! Mignon gives her blessing!" Mignon called in jest.

"I'm still here, you know..." Chae Lim pointed out.

They all laughed.

"Why? Bro, you want her?" Soiree asked.

Alba wasn't about to admit it, but there were quite a few admirable things about Chae Lim...

-- Don't wait, Don't wait  
The lights will flash and fade away  
The days will pass you by  
Don't wait To lay your armor down --

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Chapter fin.

Leave meh some reviews, betch! I really do appreciate comments on my work... since this is the first thing I've uploaded here. v.v; This is also on but it does not look as pretty.

P.S. This is a finished work, so... yeah... don't make requests for this. Make requests for something else, and I'll think about it. Also, I don't want any comments about the songfic-ness. I added the songs after I wrote the chapters because I thought they fit. FLAMES WILL BE USED AS OFFERINGS TO THE ASH CRIMSON SHRINE IN MAH CLOSET, BETCH!


	2. MakeDamnSure

This is chapter two! Yay! 

This chapter is 'Make Damn Sure'. The song is by Taking Back Sunday, thus, the lyrics belong to them. Chae Lim, Soiree and Alba Meira, Mignon Beart, Southtown, all other SNK characters, etc. belong to SNKPlaymore.

And, to Flame Rising... what makes you think I care about your opinoin of me? I like this story. I think I did a good job. You're a jerk, and maybe you should get some hobbies that don't include berating teenage girls. Go shank yourself in the eye with a spork.

* * *

_-- You've got this new head filled up with smoke  
I've got my veins all tangled close  
To the jukebox bars you frequent  
The safest place to hide --_

Chae Lim did cook, actually. Growing up in Kim's dojo, Jae Hoon and Dong Hwan (the latter especially) were always hungry, and their parents weren't usually around to make snacks. May Lee was too young to make anything, and thus the task was left to Chae Lim.

And then, of course, there was her uncle, Jhun Hoon.

She didn't mind cooking... she was decent at it, but it was not her passion. She'd rather eat food that someone else had cooked.

But, Alba, Soiree, and Mignon seemed to be a lot like Jae Hoon, Dong Hwan and May Lee, so she was stuck with cooking dinner. Kind of rude, she mused, as she was a guest.

"Heeey! Something smells yummy!" Mignon chirped, skipping into the small kitchen.

"It's stir-fry," Chae Lim replied, smiling as the smaller girl leaned over the frying pan to inspect it.

"Isn't that the stuff with all the vegetables...?" Soiree asked, poking his head out from Alba's room.

Chae Lim nodded, and Soiree made a face of disgust. "It has meat in it!" she said defensively. "If you don't like my cooking, then make a sandwich! You're a big kid!"

Mignon giggled and Soiree blushed, but he didn't argue.

"Stir-fry sounds delicious..." she heard someone, probably Alba, mumble from the other room. "As long as it doesn't have fish in it, Chae Lim can cook whatever she wants for dinner. If she yells again, I will kill you, Soiree."

"Don't! Mignon and Chae Lim will have to clean it up!" Mignon called to them.

"No, we won't. He can clean it up," Chae Lim said smoothly, tossing in some ground hamburger and stirring briefly.

Mignon batted her eyes. "But... that's so mean!"

"No, it's not, it's fair. I'm not cleaning up someone elses mess. I don't even live here," she replied.

"Good point! You do that, Alba, and you can clean up the mess!" Mignon called.

"I'm trying to sleep!" Alba said, his voice a bit louder.

"Alright, alright..." Chae Lim gave Mignon another smile. "Soiree can wake him up when dinner's ready," she said with a wink.

_-- A long night spent with your most obvious weakness  
You start shaking at the thought  
you are everything I want  
'Cause you are everything I'm not --_

After dinner was done, Chae Lim left the dishes to Mignon and went to check on Alba. She knocked politely, and was allowed entrance.

"How're you feeling?" she asked.

"Better, after dinner and a nap," he replied. "You didn't have to cook, you know. Soiree was going to order some take-out," he said, looking up into her eyes.

They were violet, a soft and very becoming violet. She smiled again.

"You smile a lot..." he muttered.

"You don't smile enough, maybe?" she teased. "And yes, I did have to cook. It was the least I could do after you brought me here," she added.

"Patching me up was enough repayment, Chae," he replied.

"I didn't think so," she said evenly. "But... if you're really feeling better... I think I'll head back to the hotel."

She turned to walk out the door, and he said, "Wait..." She turned to look at him again. "Why don't you stay a few days? It's cheaper than the Hotel..."

"You don't have enough room," she said with a sigh.

"You can sleep in Soiree's room," he replied.

"I don't think he'd like that."

"Trust me, he would. He's been sleeping on the couch for the past week because of Mignon."

"If she's unwelcome, you should send her home," Chae Lim told him.

"She isn't, and Soiree adores her. He adores you too." Looking into those soft purple eyes, Chae Lim knew that Soiree wasn't the only reason he wanted her to stay.

She sighed again, and relented. "I'll call the hotel and have them send my things over," she agreed.

Alba's smile was enough reward, she found. "Thanks..."

_-- And we lay, we lay together just not  
Too close, too close (How close is close enough)  
We lay, we lay together just not  
Too close, too close --_

The prospect of staying in Southtown with Mignon, Alba and Soiree was not a bad one. They reminded her a lot of home, and she did have to stay for another week, until they announced the winner of the KOF. They were all nice... Mignon was bright and bubbly, Soiree was laid-back, but still easily excitable, and Alba was... well... Alba. Chae Lim couldn't find a way to describe him, but whatever he was was something she found herself liking more and more with every word they spoke to each other.

"Hey, Chae Lim! Could you make us some popcorn?" Soiree shouted from his room. Sleeping in Soiree's room hadn't been bad, either. He camped out on the living room couch, Mignon had his bed, and Chae Lim had his couch, which was surprisingly comfy, even better than the hotel beds.

"Sure," she went to make some popcorn, wondering why Soiree couldn't do it himself... put the bag in the microwave and push the popcorn button. Perhaps he couldn't find it. The image of Soiree searching desperately for the popcorn button made her chuckle to herself.

She liked it in Southtown, living with them. Sure, she missed her family... not especially her parents, but Master Kim, Myun, Jae Hoon, Dong Hwan, May Lee and Jhun Hoon. Even Choi and Chang. There was something exciting and different about living in this new place. And then, there was Alba.

Her thoughts about Southtown somehow always linked to him. When she walked down the street, passing by restaurants, she wondered if the food was any good there, and what Alba thought about it. She hadn't trained in days, but she didn't feel guilty about it. She was living with former gangsters, and she wasn't feeling hostile about it.

It was like almost everything she needed was in two different places at once.

Except for Alba.

"Damn..." she mumbled, pulling the popcorn bag out of the microwave carefully by a corner. It was hot, and when she opened the door to Soiree's room...

she wasn't surprised to see Mignon and Soiree cuddled up on the couch, their tongues stuck down each other's throats. She cleared her throat, and they stopped.

"Could you please not do that where I'm going to sleep?" She asked, tossing them the bag. Soiree caught it... and abruptly dropped it.

"Owch! That's not cool, Chae!" he shouted, making Mignon giggle as she picked the unopened bag up from the floor. (1)

Her heart skipped faster as she looked to the redhead's door, wondering if he was still sleeping, if he needed anything. It was strange how she'd lived with 2 boys her age for almost her entire life, and she only felt for them half of what she'd felt for Alba, who she'd met only days ago.

_-- I just wanna break you down so badly  
Well I trip over everything you say  
Well I just wanna break you down so badly  
In the worst way _

_My inarticulate store bought hangover hobby kit  
It talks, it says, "You, oh, you are so cool"  
"Scissor shaped across the bed, you are red, violent red"  
You hollow out my hungry eyes  
You hollow out my hungry eyes --_

She knocked slowly. "Alba...?"

"Come in, Chae," she had also found that while Mignon was barred from entrance to his room, and Soiree had to wheedle his way in, she was allowed to enter with a simple knock.

She went inside and closed the door behind her. "Mignon finally caved," she said with a wry smile.

"Oh?" Alba's grin was similar to that of the Chesire Cat. Chae had to admit, she loved seeing those faces. Each one was different somehow, but still gorgeous. "So they're..."

"Yup, probably. I don't know why they would want popcorn, though," she laughed.

Alba shook his head fondly. "That's what Soiree does. He puts in a chick flick, and then gets some popcorn, but they never eat it."

Chae Lim blushed slightly. So Soiree was a player...?

"It doesn't always work, mind you, but most of the time..." he trailed off. "I should probably tell them to keep it down in there."

"No, it's fine," she answered, more color coming to her face.

"Are you sure?" he asked, and she nodded. "Do you want to watch a movie with me, then?"

She blinked. "Are you asking...?"

"And if I was?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.

Chae Lim swallowed. She wnated to answer yes to that very badly, but the week was half over... and the chances of Alba actually reciprocating her feelings... "The answer would be... no..." she said, her tone quiet and unconvincing.

"Do you just want to watch a movie, then?" he asked, sitting up on the bed to make room for her.

"Sure. Popcorn?" she offered.

He laughed, only the second time she had heard it. "Alright."

Chae Lim left, closing her eyes as she opened Soiree's door. "I don't care if you guys are indecent, just give me the popcorn!"

They shrugged, and handed her an empty bag.

_-- I just wanna break you down so badly  
Well I trip over everything you say  
I just wanna break you down so badly  
In the worst way (worst way) --_

Chae Lim earned her third laugh from Alba when she told him this. "I guess Soiree is trying a new tactic... actually watching the movie!"

Chae Lim smiled, watching the tv screen. Alba had chosen a Japanese action movie called, 'Versus'. It was a mix of comedy, action, and science fiction (if vampires and the walking undead were science fiction).

The fight scenes were rather gory, and in the end, the only two gang members left were the stoic guy with glasses and the crazy guy with a butterfly knife. Chae Lim was pleasantly surprised to see a nice implied-gay scene with one man stroking the other's face as they stood drenched in blood.

Alba looked down at her face. "Ah... so, flaming homosexuals turn you on?" he joked.

"That, Mr. Meira, is none of your business. Keep your eyes on the movie," she replied. Smart Chae Lim hadn't missed Alba trying to sneak a peek down her neckline (she'd hadn't known he and Soiree were BOTH perverts).

She was rather flattered that he was taking an interest in her body... it made her feel feminine, but rather violated at the same time.

"That girl screams too much," he muttered, indicating the girl in the white dress.

Chae Lim nodded her agreement.

The final fight scene was disappointing. A lot of special effects and bone-breaking, and too many swords, both of them found. As the credits rolled (the characters still unnamed), Chae Lim's hands moved to the edge of the mattress, getting ready to stand and move away.

"Hey..." Alba started, grabbing her wrist. "Do you want to know something?"

"What?" Chae Lim asked, feeling her face heat up as he leaned in closer to her.

"I taught Soiree that movie trick," he smirked, and one hand snaked around to the back of her neck, burying in her hair and pulling her close for a kiss.

She didn't resist, placing her hands softly on his chest. His grip tightened momentarily, then loosened as he realized that she was kissing him back. His mouth opened, tongue seeking entrance to hers. He got it, and almost as soon as their tongues slid up against each other, Chae Lim found herself on her back, Alba's weight pressing down on her.

"S... stop..." she gasped in between kisses. "Stop it, Alba."

He stopped. "What?" he asked, violet eyes clouded and confused.

"We... I can't, okay?" she said, sitting up. He obliged and did the same, moving off of her.

"Why not?" he asked, brushing his crimson hair back.

She stood up. "I'm leaving in a few days. And... it wouldn't work you know? You and me, it's totally... bogus!" she said.

"No, it isn't. Are you sorry I kissed you?" he asked.

"No," she answered truthfully.

"Then why wouldn't we work?" he asked.

"I have to be in South Korea. It's my home," she replied. She wanted him... she wanted it to work, but she knew it wouldn't. Long distance relationships failed, with one partner being unfaithful while the other pined.

"Why couldn't you stay in Southtown?" he asked.

She hated that face. She'd never seen anything so sad or defeated, or felt so evil because she knew she'd caused it. She shouldn't've agreed to stay with him. She should've stayed in the hotel.

Part of her didn't regret it at all, though.

"Because... I have to go home..." she said. Maybe if she stood behind that excuse, he'd buy it. She did want to go home... but Southtown was starting to feel like home, too.

"Look..." he shook his head. "I'm sorry... just forget it happened. I shouldn't ask you to stay. Forgive me," he finished.

Chae Lim nodded and left his room, but she wasn't going to forget. Not ever, because she loved Alba Meira.

_-- I'm gonna make damn sure that you can't ever leave  
No, you won't ever get too far from me  
You won't ever get too far from me  
I'll make damn sure that you can't ever leave  
No, you won't ever get too far from me  
You won't ever get too far from me  
You won't ever get too far from me (ever get too far)  
You won't ever get too far... --

* * *

_

Chapter fin.

That's chapter 2! Hope you enjoyed! Leave meh some reviews!


	3. Voices

This is chapter three. Disclaimer was in the last chapter. As long as I have it once, it still counts, so unless I went back to the last chapter and deleted it, nothing's changed with that situation (and it won't ever will. Damn). 

This chapter is 'Voices'. The song is by Saosin, and the lyrics belong to them, not me.

Also, in case you haven't noticed, I have edited the lyrics. Most of the time, the choruses and bridges aren't repeated in the past two and that's because the focus is not supposed to be on the song, but the story. I don't want a whole bunch of lyrics when it's just repeated lines. Anyways. ;;

'Voices'.

* * *

_-- I miss the part, when we were moving forward now (On our way down)  
But maybe someday, I'll be something more than love  
Just know I'll never tell --_

Chae Lim had actually left... she'd packed her things hastily, and before Mignon and Soiree could stop her, she had her duffel bags and she was in a cab heading to the airport.

_'Dammit... Alba... things were fine without... us? Why did you screw it up?'_ she thought angrily, wishing that the cab driver would floor it. Speeding was immoral, illegal, and put many people in danger, she knew, but in some cases, it HAD to be acceptable. This was one of those cases. She had to get away.

She wiped at her eyes, bringing her knees closer to her chest, surprised to find them wet. She sighed, and turned her eyes to the sky, which she could see out of the dirty window. It was bright and beautiful and so, so blue... the white clouds lay haphazardly in stripes, floating along at their leisure.

_'On a day like this, Master Kim and Jae Hoon are probably sparring in the yard. Is the weather so nice in South Korea?'_ she wondered, using her homeland as a distraction.

_-- And when you're on your way down (Through the clouds)  
And you're waiting for your body's re-entry again --_

The plane ride was long, and Chae Lim slept through most of it. The times she was awake, which were few and far between during the 12 hour flight, some teenagers (not much younger than herself), asked for her autograph.

One man asked, "So, the whole tournament was a scam?"

Chae Lim blinked. "Huh?"

"It's a shame. My daughter was rooting for you to win..." he shook his head sympathetically, and handed her a newspaper.

The first five pages were dedicated to covering the first 2 days of the KOF, and describing as much as the reporters had found out about the gang known as 'Mephistopheles', their leader "King" Duke, and Alba, Soiree and herself, the three top placers, if the tournament hadn't been a scam.

_-- We speak in different voices  
When fighting with the ones we've loved  
We speak in different voices  
Why can't we say what we're thinking of --_

The picture of Alba and herself fighting broke her heart. It was taken half a second before she'd been knocked out, her leg just about to come down on his head. He didn't look surprised... but focused, determined, intelligent, and beautiful.

All of the things that had attracted her to him.

There was another picture of him smiling at the camera. It must've been giving to the paper by someone, because she had a good guess that he'd never smile for a camera.

She politely asked the man if she could keep the paper, and he let her, in exchange for an autograph to give to his daughter.

She read and reread each page carefully. Metatron, or Mephistopheles, had been playing everyone, just scouting out new recruits for the underground syndicate 'Addis'.

Perhaps that's why Alba had tried to stop Duke. She doubted that he had fought him in the name of what was good and just, but it was a nice thought. He probably had some deeper grudge... but Chae Lim would never know if that was true. The choice was fight or flight, and she was sitting on a plane.

_-- I'm missing parts, now that you've told me everything (On our way down)  
And I was blessed and I've forgotten how to love  
You said you'd never tell --_

"She... left?" Alba asked quietly, confused. Why would she just run like that? Had she really been so repulsed by his kiss that she'd jump on a plane and return to her home halfway across the world?

"Yeah... bro, she burst into my room and threw all of her stuff into her bag and ran out of here like a bat outta hell!" Soiree explained, looking saddened.

Mignon looked worse. Her cheeks were already tearstained. "What did Alba do to Chae Lim?! Why did she leave?!" she demanded, shaking her head furiously. "Tell me why!"

He wished he could. "I don't know, Mignon..." he answered.

That answer wasn't good enough for her. "Mignon will leave, too!"

"No! Mignon!" Soiree said, looking from his brother back to the pink haired girl. "What...?"

"If Alba hurt Chae... Mignon's going to make it right! Mignon will fix it!" She said, hastily throwing her things into her suitcase. It wouldn't shut, and she pushed down hard, going as far as to sit on it and bang her fists down on the top.

"I... can't believe you would just leave..." the twins whispered in unison, each speaking of their respective loves.

_-- And when you're on your way down (Through the clouds)  
And you're waiting for your body's re-entry again --_

It wasn't until later that day, after Soiree had calmed Mignon down, that Alba found something in his room. Laying on his back in the same exact spot that Chae had only hours before, he spotted it laying on the floor.

A cell phone.

It didn't belong to him or Soiree... his was red, and Soiree's was sky-blue. This one was green. He flipped it open, amused by the teddy bear wallpaper. Checking the address book and seeing all of the Asian names, he knew who it belonged to.

"Dammit... she couldn't even get everything..." he muttered. The only thing worse than not having her was having something of hers to hold on to.

He'd return it to her. Finding her address couldn't be too hard. Maybe he could find Hyena and beat it out of him. He could send it Priority Mail...

Then again, why not just deliver it in person? His heart felt a little lighter. At least then, he could see her one more time.

"Hey, Soiree! Mignon!" he stood up and called to them. "Do you guys want to go to South Korea?"

Even if the KOF was a scam, he still had 3 million dollars burning a hole in his pocket.

_-- Not even I will tell... --_

Chae Lim stepped off the flight, jetlagged and hollow. She was tired, hungry (the food on the plane would never compare to the food at the Dongdaemun market), and depressed.

She forced a smile as she saw her escort.

"Let me grab those for you, Chae," Jae Hoon said, reaching for her duffel bags. She let him have them.

"You got third place! Third place!" May Lee squealed, hugging her tightly.

--_ We speak in different voices  
When fighting with the ones we've loved  
We speak in different voices  
We say these things to know they're real. --_

Chae Lim hugged her back, grateful for the small comfort, although it was supposed to be congratulatory. "I would have. It was a scam. Completely bogus. Set up by a gang in Southtown to recruit members," she corrected.

"Then you got to fight some evil..." Jae Hoon said with a small smile.

It was then that Chae Lim decided to never compare Alba Meira to Kim Jae Hoon again.

"Whoo! If Hero May Lee was there, she would've--" May Lee was cut off.

"Welcome back, neice." Her uncle Jhun Hoon gathered her up in a bearhug.

Chae Lim buried her face in his chest and started to cry.

_-- To know they're real. Real.  
I'll never... --

* * *

_

Chapter fin.

There. Shortest chapter, and probably the lamest. Yay me. Review!


	4. Vindicated

Yeah, this story is almost over. 

Oh well. This chapter is called 'Vindicated'. Lyrics are credited to Dashboard Confessional.

* * *

_-- Hope dangles on a string  
Like slow spinning redemption  
Winding in and winding out  
The shine of which has caught my eye --_

Chae Lim had stopped crying by the time they'd arrived back at the dojang. She recieved a warm welcome home from all of the students, and she and Master Kim bowed to each other.

"You fought very well, Chae Lim," he said, pride shining in his eyes.

"Thank you, Master," she replied.

"Master Lim! Did you fight Kyo Kusanagi?" One girl asked.

"I bet you she lost to Iori Yagami!" One of the boys laughed.

"I heard that Terry Bogard was there!" a girl shrieked.

Chae Lim felt a pang of guilt. She had promised to get Terry Bogard's autograph for a good friend of hers, Alice... and she'd forgotten.

"Oh..." Alice was standing beside her, reading her expression perfectly. "You forgot, didn't you, Chae?" she teased.

"I did," she admitted, "I'm sorry. I didn't even see him there."

"Really? Aw, shucks," Alice mumbled, snapping her fingers.

"And how is my favorite TKD princess?" That was Sonmi, Chae Lim's childhood friend. Sonmi smiled at her.

"I'm fine," Chae Lim said, a white lie. Physically, she'd never been better... but emotionally was a completely different story.

"Really? You don't look so 'fine'. Wanna tell Sonmi about it?" Sonmi asked, nudging her in the ribs.

"Later," Chae agreed with a sigh.

"Alright, how about I treat you two ladies to some food at the Dongdaemun market!" Dong Hwan offered, sliding up to the trio with a goofy grin on his face.

Home.

_-- And roped me in  
So mesmerizing, so hypnotizing I am captivated --_

"What about Alice?" Sonmi asked.

"I meant you and Alice," Dong Hwan replied.

"You'd better get out of here..." Sonmi warned, reaching down to remove her shoe. Her taekwondo wasn't the best, but she was deadly with a red pump.

Dong Hwan skeedaddled.

"It's my treat," Jae Hoon said. "Father and I had been planning it for you, anyway."

Chae Lim flushed. "Jae... please don't take this the wrong way... but could we do it another time? I'd rather go out with just Sonmi and Alice," she said quietly.

Jae Hoon understood, like he always did. He and Chae Lim were great friends, and many people wondered why they weren't together instead of Chae Lim's friend Alice.

_'Because, it's only friendship,_' Chae reminded herself. _'There's a big difference between loving someone and being in love with them. I know that now.'_

"Alright. You have your cellphone on you, right?" Jae Hoon asked.

Chae Lim stuffed a hand into her jeans. "N-no..." she stammered, surprised. "I must've dropped on the plane... or in..."

Alba's room.

The memory heated her cheeks rapidly.

"Are you okay, Chae?" Alice asked, looking concerned.

"Y-yeah, I'll tell you later... come on..." Chae Lim answered quickly, grabbing their hands and heading towards the door.

"You know, if I didn't know my little neice any better... I'd say she's in love!" Jhun Hoon remarked to his friend with a soft chuckle.

"True. She's a strong girl. She's probably just upset about not placing first," Kim replied. "It'd be nice if she was, though. She needs to get out. Perhaps we've sheltered her too much?" he said thoughtfully.

"Perhaps," Jhun Hoon agreed.

_-- I am Vindicated  
I am selfish I am wrong  
I am right I swear I'm right  
I swear I knew it all along --_

Boarding the plane had been hell. He and Soiree and Mignon suddenly had gaggles of fans, screaming and honking at them like geese.

"We'll sign autographs when we get back! Promise!" Soiree called, hamming it up as they started through the boarding hall.

"Where are you going?" One girl screamed at them.

"To bring someone home," Mignon replied with a bright cheery smile.

"She's so cute!" a group of giggly girls, uh, giggled.

"Come on..." Alba said, steering them down the hall.

"ALBA'S SO GORGEOUS! MARRY ME ALBA!"

"Nuh uh!" Mignon said, putting her hands on her hips. "He's going to marry Chae Li--"

Soiree clapped a hand over his new girlfriend's mouth. "Let's just say my bro's taken, girls! Sorry!" he shouted to the fans.

"Go... the sooner we get on the plane, the better," Alba muttered, pushing them along.

"Alright, alright, Mignon is going!" Mignon huffed.

_-- And I am flawed  
But I am cleaning up so well  
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself --_

"So, come on, spill it, Chae!" Alice began excitedly, as they walked down the crowded street of the Dongdaemun market.

Chae Lim looked around. "In a minute... I want a kimchee burger..." she said, then headed to a stand. "Kimchee burgers?"

"Sohn Chae Lim!" the vendor exclaimed. "The girl who is well on her way to--"

"Getting a kimchee burger?" Sonmi guessed. "Make it two."

The vendor went to work making the burgers. He was actually going to say 'becoming the next crown jewel of Taekwondo, like her master, Kim Kapwhan', which would have left Chae Lim very flattered and speechless, but he left it alone.

When they were done, the girls took their burgers, paid, and continued down the street.

"So..." Sonmi began again, "tell us. Who is he?"

Chae Lim choked as she swallowed her bite. "Wh-what?" she stammered, coughing.

Alice patted her back. "Come on, we know it's a guy! Who? Who? Is it someone you met at the KOF?" she asked.

Chae Lim couldn't really deny it any longer, or that would be lying. Above everything else, she hated liars. "Yes.." she admitted.

"Oooh! Is it Rock Howard?" Alice guessed.

"Who?" Chae Lim asked.

"Terry's adopted son!" she squealed.

"Alice, stop it. Chae Lim is not going to become Terry Bogard's daughter in law, so would you just CHILL?" Sonmi said, shaking her head. "Just tell us who it is. He'd have to be someone amazing to tangle you up in knots like this."

_'Tangle me up in knots... that's just what you do, Alba. You rotten bastard,'_ she thought.

_-- So clear  
Like the diamond in your ring  
Cut to mirror your intentions  
Oversized and overwhelmed  
The shine of which has caught my eye --_

"The guy that won," she said vaguely, hoping that they wouldn't know who that was.

"Alba Meira?" Alice blurted out, shocked.

Chae Lim's eyes widened.

"Isn't he a gangste--" Sonmi began, then realized exactly what Chae Lim's problem was. "He breaks the law, and you're a goody-two shoes! You think that if you guys got together, Master Kim would have a heart attack and throw you out of the dojo!"

Chae nodded guiltily. That was basically it. It was alright to show criminals the errors of their ways and help them reform (like Master Kim and Master Jhun Hoon had done for Chang and Choi) but she doubted it was okay to date them.

No, in her case, it was not okay to be in love with a criminal.

"The heart wants what the heart wants, Chae... You can't fight it," Sonmi said coolly. "You stress out over way too much... you should ask Master Kim for some time off from training. You need it the least anyways."

Chae Lim shook her head quickly. "No," she said. She couldn't stop training... not when she was going to enter the next KOF, not when she needed something to keep her mind off of him.

"Yes. You can collect your thoughts about this guy and sort out your feelings and all that stuff. Who knows? You could find a way to make it work, you know?" Sonmi said, and Alice nodded her agreement.

"No... I have to keep training. I wasted three years for this tournament, and I didn't even win," she replied.

"You would've gotten third. For a first timer, that's great!" Alice encouraged.

"But, I didn't win... I lost, when I was so close!" Chae said, taking a furious bite out of her burger.

"Yeah, and you're losing right now!" Sonmi insisted. "You're not even giving him a chance? What, did he do something to hurt you or offend your sense of honor and justice, Chae Lim? Christ, everyday I hear you complain about how you're sick of the girls at the dojang falling all over you and how you'd like a guy to look at you like that for once! Maybe he is looking at you like that!" She half-shouted, red-faced as she stared down her best friend.

"He isn't," Chae Lim said, frowning at her. "He looks at me like I'm some... playtoy at his disposal. I'm not some gangster's ho, and I won't ever be," she said coldly. "He can play lord of the Southtown underworld, and I'm going to train here in Korea, and if we meet again, we meet again... if not, whatever."

_-- I am Vindicated  
I am selfish I am wrong  
I am right I swear I'm right  
I swear I knew it all along --_

"Stop fucking running away... do you really believe in this justice bullshit--"

"It isn't bullshit!" Chae Lim shouted, dropping the remaining burger on the ground, her fists clenching.

"Do you really believe in it so much that you might be giving up a good guy?" Sonmi asked.

A few people were staring at them as they stared each other down in the Dongdaemun market.

She had admitted that he wasn't evil... that he was a 'good guy'. So what was holding her back?

The distance. The difference in their lives. The sudden-ness of it all.

Sonmi's cellphone rang. She answered it, and handed it to Chae Lim.

"It's your gangster," she said with a smirk.

_-- So turn  
Up the corners of your lips  
Part them and feel my finger tips  
Trace the moment, fall forever  
Defense is paper thin --_

"Chae... don't talk alright? I have your cell phone--" Alba began.

"And you're what? Going to hold it hostage until I throw myself at your feet and beg you to take me back to Southtown with you?" she interrupted.

"I love you."

That caught her a bit offguard.

"Are you... kidding me...?" It sounded like she was having a hard time catching her breath.

"Where are you?" he asked, looking around as he walked down the busy street, Soiree and Mignon not too far behind.

"Dongdaemun market..." Chae breathed into the phone. "Answer me? Are you joking around?"

"Don't run away, just... talk to me a second..." He took in a deep breath. He wasn't used to this, just pouring out his feelings (especially over someone elses cellphone) and he could tell that she wasn't either. "Did you hop a plane to Seoul because you don't like me, or because you don't like the fact that I kissed you?" he asked.

_-- Just one touch and I'd be in  
Too deep now to ever swim against the current  
So let me slip away  
So let me slip against the current and let me slip away --_

"Neither... I just..." she bit her lip, while Sonmi and Alice looked on with bemused smiles.

"Go on, tell him," Sonmi encouraged.

"It wouldn't work... it's too far..."

"I'll commute," he joked, cracking a smile. It felt good to hear her voice and know that she was close and didn't hate him.

"But... the gang... Mephistopheles..." she began, tears pricking her eyes.

"Over. You think I'd keep it after Duke left? Most of them are still loyal to him... and most of them just stood there while he had Fate killed by some British bitch," he replied. "Any more problems?"

"Just one," she said, calmly exhaling. "How can you love me so quickly?"

"You're everything I'm not, and everything I admire about people..." He answered honestly, smiling. "You're beautiful and honest, and you care for people. Even when you don't know them. And you're not afraid to change your mind..."

"You care, too..." She spoke into the phone, feeling tears course down her cheeks for the second time that day. "Or, you wouldn't be here."

"I care about you..." He took in another deep breath. "So, change your mind about us?"

"Chae Lim!" Mignon waved, giving away their position across the street.

Sonmi's cellphone fell to the sidewalk as Chae Lim looked over. The pink-haired girl waved, and Soiree offered a boyish grin.

Alba snapped the cellphone closed, and folded his arms over his chest, a grin playing on his pale lips.

"St-stay here..." Chae Lim stuttered to her friends, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear as she started across the street.

She walked right up to Alba, throwing her arms around the redhead's neck. She kissed him, hard, and he obliged by kissing back.

Soiree and Mignon cheered, and proceeded to do the same.

"You know, it's times like this that I wish I had a boyfriend," Sonmi remarked to Alice.

"You know..." Alice began. "I could set you up with Dong Hwan."

"Hm... he's kind of cute," Sonmi agreed. The duo linked arms and went off to make an honest man out of Kim Dong Hwan.

_-- Slight hope  
It dangles on a string  
Like slow spinning redemption --_

_

* * *

_

Rawr, Alice and Sonmi aren't OCs. They appear in Chae's story. But, yes, this is the end. Hope you enjoyed it. Leave me reviews! -whine.-


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